Wild Kingdom
by Denise Felt
Summary: Lt. Ford experiences a really bad day at SHADO.


WILD KINGDOM (A UFO Story) by Denise Felt Copyright 2001  
  
When Lt. Ford left his flat for work that morning, he had no idea that this day would be different from any other. After ten years with the organization, there were very few things that surprised him. He had come to the comfortable place where he felt that he had seen it all. After all, once you'd dealt with aliens and flying saucers on a regular basis, what else was there?  
  
But as he turned onto the road that led to the studio, he got his first inkling that this was not going to be an ordinary day. Hanging in the clear blue sky above the studio was a saucer, spinning almost faster than the eye could see. Keith braked and got out of his car, frowning. He saw no one on the studio grounds, which was odd; and no Sky jet flying in to intercept the UFO, which was odder still. In fact, the only movement he discerned was the silvery spinning of the saucer. He was bewildered.  
  
Why hadn't SHADO reacted to this threat? Was everyone dead? If the aliens had somehow destroyed SHADO, the studio above ground would hardly still be intact. It would be a mass of rubble at the very least. And if the aliens had somehow stopped time, as they had done in the past, people would still be visible on the grounds. They would just be frozen in place. This... this was something different. He cautiously eased back into his car and drove onto the studio lot.  
  
He entered the empty main lobby and headed down the hall toward the bank of elevators that led beneath the studio into SHADO HQ. The silence was eerie, but he felt uneasy by more than that alone. There was something... just beyond his perception. He couldn't figure it out, but he knew it was there. A sensation that told him that something was very wrong here. But he couldn't latch onto it yet. There was just the feeling. As he turned the corner where the elevators stood, he halted in shock. In fact, he blinked several times to be certain that what he was seeing wasn't a hallucination. He even pinched himself. But the creature remained.  
  
Keith swallowed. It was a lion. He didn't know much about the creatures, but he could nonetheless discern from the thinness of its mane that it was a young lion, not in its full prime. But somehow that fact did not reassure him any. Especially since the lion was calmly chewing on a piece of raw meat that looked very much like a lamb's leg. After a time, it seemed to become aware that it was being observed, and it lifted its large head and looked him in the eye. Lt. Ford gasped. The lion's expression could only be called humorous, as if it was enjoying itself immensely and was inviting the lieutenant to share the fun. Keith carefully backed up until he was around the corner, then made a mad dash for the lobby.  
  
When he reached the relative safety of the main desk, he chanced a look back. And sighed. The lion had not bothered to pursue him. He caught his breath, then smoothed his hair and headed for Commander Straker's office. If the commander was there, he would know how to deal with the situation. And if he wasn't, at least Keith would have another route down to SHADO HQ through his office. His steps were firm in spite of his weak knees as he went down the hall. The commander would know what to do. Straker was never at a loss.  
  
But when Ford entered the outer office, he was quite dismayed to see that Miss Ealand was not at her post. That in itself was disheartening, but the office was not empty. A large falcon sat on the corner of the secretary's desk and eyed him fiercely. Unlike the lion, this creature did not seem to be at all amused. But in spite of that, Keith felt that he might have an easier time getting past the bird than the lion. He slowly edged his way across the room, keeping to the walls and not taking his eyes off the bird. He kept remembering that stupid poem by Poe that he'd learned in Literature class some years ago about a raven, and since the only line he had retained after all this time was: "quoth the raven, nevermore," he found the continual repetition of this line in his mind more of a detriment than a help in this situation.  
  
The falcon in turn did not take its large dark eyes off of him and even cocked its head somewhat to keep him in view as he neared Straker's door to his inner office. He took a deep breath and crossed the threshold into the office. A swift glance around showed that the office was deserted, but he had hardly taken a step toward the desk when he heard the falcon caw and lift off of Miss Ealand's desk. He turned, realizing that the bird was coming after him, and blindly reached for the door lock button on Straker's desk. The doors slid closed, nearly clipping the bird's wings in the process. Keith leaned against the desk in relief.  
  
He opened the elegant cigar box and stated his name in less than his usual calm voice. Nonetheless, the voiceprint identifier found no fault with it and gave him clearance to send the office down to HQ. He wasn't sure what he would find when he got there, but there had to be some explanation for what had happened to everybody. And the presence of the weird animals was an added oddity that was difficult to figure out. They'd done animal shows at the studio before, but none of them had ever been allowed to run loose. Security was far too tight for that. He just didn't get it.  
  
And he badly wanted an explanation. Any explanation. Because that UFO was still hovering over the studio, and God only knew what plans it had for SHADO. When the office reached the bottom of the shaft, it stopped and the door opened into HQ. Keith saw the large sign announcing that this was the headquarters for the Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization and was absurdly reassured.  
  
Until he stepped out of the office.  
  
Two things immediately became apparent. One was that the creatures had somehow infiltrated HQ, because a lynx was sitting on the top of some papers on the security officer's desk. It did not pay any heed to him, however, but simply lazed there washing its paws. The second thing that the lieutenant noticed was the smell. HQ had a wonderful ventilation system, but it was still an enclosed space, and smells did have a tendency to accumulate over time. Anyone with a sensitive nose like Keith's had become aware of this early on. But this smell was unlike any he had ever smelled before, except perhaps when he was a boy and had gone to the zoo. It was what he had sensed in the main lobby of the studio just before seeing the lion. It was the smell of animals. He looked at the lynx and sighed. It was the smell of many animals.  
  
Great. Just great.  
  
Ford tiptoed past the lynx and headed down the corridor toward the control room. Here too there was complete silence, except for an occasional squeal or other odd sound that was very unnerving. He ducked once as a hawk flew past him, narrowly missing his head. He watched it continue down the corridor as if it owned the place. He wondered idly if he could be dreaming? He had pinched himself earlier, but surely this insanity belonged in the realm of dreams, not reality?  
  
Although if he was dreaming all this, he thought with a quirk to his lips, he certainly would have picked a better scenario than Wild Kingdom. He remembered the program vaguely from his childhood days. He had not watched it, having had far too graphic of an introduction the one time he had watched it. The images were still seared into his memory. It had been a program about a Bengal tiger, and he had run from the room screaming after seeing the tiger tear into an antelope. It was science programs only for him from then on. With no regrets.  
  
Well, he decided after rounding a corner and being confronted with a large lizard coming out of the Medical Centre, if this was all a dream he had learned his lesson. No more anchovies on his pizza from here on out. He stopped and watched as the animal slunk down the hall away from him. It was really very large and sported claws. And its tail was thick and powerful. Keith assumed it was a komodo dragon, but was not about to bother looking it up to be sure. He was just determined to stay out of its way. That reptilian gaze was more than he wanted to deal with up close and personal. It was odd, though. He had found that stare almost familiar in some way.  
  
As it disappeared around the far corner of the hallway, Keith came all the way into the corridor and halfway down, where the entrance to the control room was. He was both relieved and unnerved to find the room empty. Where the hell was everybody? Was he the only man left alive on the planet? He fought back his panic and took several deep breaths. Somehow, he had hoped against hope that once he got here, he'd find Straker and Co. dealing with the situation in their usual calm efficient manner. It was almost more than he could bear to find that he was still on his own in this.  
  
He sat at his console and tried to raise Moonbase, but they did not answer. Next he tried Skydiver, but also without any response. He glanced at the monitor, but no one was at their station in the command sphere on Moonbase. He turned away, then swiftly looked back. Something had gone past the screen. It was no longer there, but he thought it had been large. He stood up and kept his eyes on the viewscreen, hoping for another glimpse. So intent was he that when something brushed against his legs, he gave a shout and jerked away.  
  
Ford looked behind him. And found his mouth too dry to swallow. A sleek black panther strode past him, then turned to rub up against his legs again. Its large soulful eyes gazed limpidly at him. He stared back, too terrified to move. Then the cat opened its mouth slightly and licked his leg. He jumped, since he could feel its tongue through his clothing, but otherwise remained still. He kept remembering that damned lion upstairs, cheerfully gnawing away. When he did not respond, the animal brushed against him one more time, bumping him as she passed, then went over to a corner and laid down, keeping an eye on him.  
  
After a few minutes, Keith felt safe enough to look back at the Moonbase monitor. This time he saw what it was that walked past the screen. It was a soft brown body with a short white tail. When it came back into view, he finally saw the head and realized that it was a deer. It stuck its muzzle up against the viewscreen as if curious about it, and Keith gasped. Those eyes! He knew those eyes! Hell, he had fantasized about those eyes!  
  
He swung around and looked at the panther in the corner. Really looked at her. And abruptly sat down in his chair. My God, he thought. My God! "Ayshea?" he asked softly, hoping against hope that he was wrong, but uneasily aware that he probably wasn't.  
  
The large cat gave a soft growl deep in its throat and began licking its paws. Its large eyes never once stopped staring at him. Keith sighed. Oh, God. He looked back at the viewscreen in time to see the deer lose interest and turn away. "Lt. Ellis?" he said into the microphone, even in this extreme situation unable to call her by her first name.  
  
The deer's head swiveled around for a moment, then left the range of the viewscreen as it walked away. The lieutenant was thinking fast. If that was Lt. Ellis and the panther was Ayshea, then the hawk was also a SHADO operative, as well as the lynx. And the falcon... He wondered suddenly if that bird might have been Straker's secretary? And the lion...? He didn't know, but he was a bit more worried about who the lamb had been?  
  
Suddenly he put his head in his hands. No! That was insane! The aliens could not have turned SHADO personnel into animals! They couldn't have! He swung around at a sound in time to see a beautiful silver fox leap onto the computer in the middle of the room. She was licking her lips and gave him a satisfied glance before laying her head between her paws and swinging her thick tail rhythmically back and forth. He froze. The grey eyes that met his were far too intelligent to be the eyes of a mere wild animal. And he wondered what Col. Lake had just eaten to give her such a satisfied look.  
  
He stood, knowing that whatever had happened here, there was absolutely nothing he could do for them, except perhaps to provide them with their next meal. And if the aliens had somehow turned all of SHADO into animals, then the planet didn't stand a chance against their invasion. A smart man knew when to quit. He was going home. And getting thoroughly drunk.  
  
His eyes were caught by a movement on the monitor, and he saw a lovely tortoiseshell cat jump up and sit next to the viewscreen at Moonbase's console. It sniffed the screen, then gave a soft meow. Keith sighed and said, "Hi, yourself, Nina. Are you free for dinner? I've always had the hots for you, you know." The cat did not answer, and he shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't really matter now, does it?"  
  
He walked out of the control room, feeling two pairs of eyes on his back as he left. Hell, he thought, feeling guilty for leaving in a crisis. What could he do? They were animals, for God's sake! There weren't a lot of options open to him. He was not paying attention as he went and did not hear the padding behind him until the animal was almost upon him. He turned swiftly and saw a large timber wolf crouching to leap at his throat. Keith gave a shout and ducked into the closest office, hitting the button to close the door all in a single thought.  
  
As he slumped onto the floor, trying to regain his breath, he decided that he might just know who that beast had been. No one else at SHADO combined ferocity with extreme loyalty as much as Alec Freeman. And if he thought Keith was turning tail and running away, he wouldn't think twice about coming after him. Great. That was all he needed. Being considered a coward after all he had given over the years to this organization. But did that really matter now? He was willing to give his life to help save Earth from aliens, but he was hardly willing to give his life so that Col. Freeman or that lion upstairs could have dinner.  
  
He sat there on the floor for some time, waiting in the hope that the wolf would get tired and go off somewhere else. As he sat, he thought about the animals he had seen. And he realized that every one of them in some way resembled the people they had once been. If that was the case, then that lizard had to have been Dr. Jackson. Which wasn't that big of a stretch when he thought about it. He didn't know who the lynx and the hawk had been, but really, it could have been any one of a number of personnel. But he had a sneaking suspicion now who that young lion had been. And if he managed to get past Col. Freeman, he sincerely hoped he wouldn't run into Col. Foster again.  
  
He opened the door after a while, peering carefully around the edge before emerging into the corridor. As he had hoped, the wolf was gone. He jogged swiftly but quietly down the corridor toward Straker's office elevator. The lynx was gone as he passed the security desk, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he entered the office and shut the door. He had pressed the button for the office to rise up to ground level when he heard a sound from behind him that froze him where he stood. In that moment, that second of terror, he realized that there had been one person he had not seen in HQ. The commander himself. And he had the feeling that he was about to. Not the man. No, that would be too easy, he thought sadly. But whatever beast the man had become. And Keith admitted to himself for the first time in his life that he was a coward. He really didn't want to know. Really. Didn't. Want. To know.  
  
As the creature growled again, Ford slowly turned to face it. And lost the rest of the color from his face. The animal was majestic. Piercing blue eyes shone out of the feline face, and its lean body was covered in white fur. Straker was a tiger. Full grown. Powerful. And furious. Keith had one moment to think inconsequently that white tigers were very rare indeed. Then the animal was on him.  
  
The lieutenant screamed and flung up his arms.  
  
He had stumbled to the bathroom and splashed water on his face before he even realized that he was alive. He sagged against the cold of the sink and lifted eyes to his reflection that still contained the terror he had felt. His features dripping with water, he took several deep breaths as he stared at his pathetic face in the mirror. Finally, he whispered fiercely to his reflection, "No more anchovies." 


End file.
